Mount Mayon erupts anew, spews more ash

Mount Mayon erupted for the second time on Sunday, emitting grayish steam and thick ash.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said the second phreatic eruption took place at around 8:49 a.m. and lasted for five minutes.

Phreatic eruption at Mayon Volcano at 8:49am, ashfall should be expected on the southwest and west slopes. pic.twitter.com/O7LmrRYV87

— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) January 14, 2018

Aside from steam and ash, the volcano also emitted sulfurous odor and rumbling sounds were heard by residents of Barangay Anoling in Camalig town in Albay, PHIVOLCS added.

The agency raised the alert level over Mount Mayon from 1 to 2 following the first phreatic eruption on Saturday afternoon.

"Alert Level 2 remains in effect over Mayon Volcano, which means that the current unrest is probably of magmatic origin, which could lead to more phreatic eruptions or eventually to hazardous magmatic eruptions," PHIVOLCS said.

Hundreds of villagers around the volcano have been evacuated to safer areas.

In a separate bulletin, PHIVOLCS said its seismic monitoring network recorded a total of 78 rockfall events since the the first phreatic eruption until 8 a.m. Sunday.

During the first eruption, Mount Mayon produced a 2,500-meter-high  ash plume that drifted to the southwest portion of the volcano.

Local authorities said at least 16 barangays were affected by the ashfall. —ALG, GMA News